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IDENTITY

To what extent is our identity determined at birth?

You are the fairy godmother to these newborn twins. Write down all the things you would wish your male/female child to be when they

grow up

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

We are learning about We will do this by

the construction of social identities

•Describe how social identity is formulated and developed•Debate whether identity is determined or socially constructed

Defining Identity

• A sense of self that develops as the child differentiates from parents and family and takes a place in society (Jary and Jary 1991)

• SOCIAL IDENTITY has been defined as out understanding or who we are and who other people are (Jenkins 1996)

• People associate themselves with those that are similar and distance themselves from those who are not. (Sub cultures)

Defining Social identity

Social identity theory• Our ‘unique’ social

identity is our understanding of ourselves and who we are in relation to other people or groups.– We label (I am a girl)

– We categorise ourselves (I belong to the Pink Ladies)

– We make comparisons (the Pink ladies are prettier than the Goths)

Sources of identity

nationality

ethnicity

sexuality

gender

class

Identity is also related to the groups in which we belong

Socialisation is important in shaping identity.

• Identities are linked to particular roles– Male/female– Adult/child– Scout/Guide

• Identity defines who we are but are also shaped by social factors– What age do you become an

adult?– How to behave as a man/woman

Developing identity• As we age some aspects of our

social identity change due to new experiences that make us think differently of ourselves and how we have been treated by others.– The social roles we occupy have

a strong influence on how we see ourselves

– Reflect natural differences between people and cultures

• Suggestion that roles are shaped by social factors and is an integral part of social life.

ClassClass

CultureCulture

FamilyFamily

Individual Individual IdentityIdentity

AgeAge

GenderGenderEthnicityEthnicity

RegionRegionSocialisationSocialisation

RolesRoles

ValuesValues

NormsNorms

StatusStatus

SubcultureSubculture

MediaMedia

WorkWork

PoliticsPolitics

ReligionReligion

PeersPeers

EducationEducation

The Web of IdentityThe Web of Identity

The formation of identities

• Mead – development of self and being able to imagine how others see us

• Goffman – All the world is a stage and we are actors with a variety of roles.

• Freud – childhood experiences are vital for the development of an adult identity

GENDER ROLES

• Parents expect children to behave in certain ways according to their sex

• Children are typecast into masculine or feminine gender roles

• Reinforced at school

• Books and toys present typical stereotypes

In what ways are boys and girls treated differently and by who?

Sex and gender are an important part of our identity, who we are and how we

think of ourselves

MEAD 35

• Margaret Mead studies 3 tribes in New guinea and concluded that gender roles were culturally determined

1. What would happen if a family from any one of the tribes went to live in another? 2. How might their behaviour be described by the dominant culture? 3. How might the ‘immigrant’ family view the behaviour of the others?

GENDER IDENTITY – Nature or nurture

GENDER IDENTITY – Nature or nurture

• The roles of men and women complement each other – Biologically shaped– Socially functional

• Women involved in bearing and rearing children and programmed for softness and affection

• Men have been ‘biogrammed’ to be aggressive, powerful and decision makers

• To go against biogrammar is to go against nature (Tiger & Fox 72, pg 37)

Theoretical perspectives of the development of your identity

Description of how identity is developed

Nature or Nurture?

Is the individual active or passive?

MARXIST

FEMINIST

POST MODERNIST

FUNCTIONALIST

INTERACTIONIST

Read pages 37 – 40 (Barnard) and elsewhere to find the answers

HOMEWORK

To what extent is our identity

determined at birth? [25]

FUNCTIONALISTS

• Identity development is affected by the needs of the state

• Our identity is affected by the value consensus that most people share within their culture that bonds us together

• we internalise what society says is important and make it part of us– Eg I am quite clever, competitive when I need

to be and I'm usually kind. (society values and has a use for all of these things)

FUNCTIONALISTS

• Talcott Parsons -Two main functions of the family

– Socialisation –woman is in command and the ‘expressive’ partner of the marital relationship

– Stabilisation – man goes to work brings home the money provides for the family

• Murdock suggests that the division of labour is an efficient means of dividing socially necessary tasks

• Division comes about from differences in strength (males) and demands of pregnancy (females)

FEMINISTS

• Feminists argue that social influences are more important than biological

• Gender is one of the primary aspects of a person’s individual identity if not THE primary factor

• Identity is shaped and channelled through the socialisation process (both primary and secondary)

• Women are shaped into seeing themselves as second class citizens because we live in a patriarchal society

MARXIST FEMINISTS

• The capitalist state breeds gross inequalities.

• Points to the effect of the consumer society of a woman’s self image– Fashion, diet, sex objects, magazines

• All impose impossible images which is damaging to self esteem

MARXISTS

• People have little control over how their identity is shaped because it will be totally ties in to the economy

• Being born working class means you have lower self esteem than upper class

• We are shaped to become workers and think ourselves as workers

• The media is the new opium, it keeps people docile and fuels consumer society and a constant feeling of inadequacy

INTERACTIONISTS

• There is an interaction between people and the meanings they share which is incorporated into an individuals self image

• According to labelling theory an individuals identity is shaped by the labels others give him/her, creating a self fulfilling prophecy– John is the life and soul of the party– The Johnson family are a bad lot

POST MODERNIST

• Identity is not a fixed thing, key features can be changed if the person wants them to be

• Individuals can ‘pick and mix’ when it comes to choosing who they are and create their own narrative

• Language and symbols are important for the individual. We care more about looks than substance, eg designer logo is more important than the function of the trainer

Key terms:

SEX: matters of biology – not as straightforward as it seems

GENDER IDENTITY: a person's own feelings about whether they are male/ female, both or neither

GENDER ROLE: a set of behavioural prescriptions assigned by a culture to particular gender

MASCULINITY: a gender term associated with male traits

FEMINITY: a gender term associated with female traits

ANDROGENY: a type of gender where the individual shows masculine and feminine traits